Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hans Lemurson]

I am about to embark on one of the cruelest and most sadistic ventures imaginable: A fortress WITH NO BOOZE.

Dwarves will have to make do with drinking water.  In a scorching climate.  With no aquifers.

The survival of the fortress will depend on the construction of a network of rain-catchment systems (using whatever scattered ponds I find) to provide drinking water for the entire population. (I'll drill for cave water if I get desperate)

I'm not entirely sure this is doable given dwarven alcohol dependency and my fuzzy understanding of the weather system, but I do know one thing:  There is no word in dwarven for "Sober".

Any suggestions for what I should name the place?  (My initial hope was for "SoberThirst" but that's not gonna be possible)

[Corai]

Death Wishes?

[Joben]

In my second fort I had a water problem. I was going to channel a depression on top of a plateu  with a grate in the bottom leading to a cistern. But then I did a little more reading. Apparently rain water does not collect in low areas you dig out, only in the the stagnant pools the terrain generator makes. At least thats how I understood the Wiki.

...quite a shame.

[Hans Lemurson]

In my second fort I had a water problem. I was going to channel a depression on top of a plateu  with a grate in the bottom leading to a cistern. But then I did a little more reading. Apparently rain water does not collect in low areas you dig out, only in the the stagnant pools the terrain generator makes. At least thats how I understood the Wiki.

...quite a shame.

That has been my experience, and that is my plan.

How's this for a name: Zar Arel (The Outrage of Water)

[jesternario]

I can see it now! three years afterwards, your dwarves are on their way to finishing the fourth level of the fortress do to fatigue caused by lack of booze.

This sounds interesting. Please give us periodic reports as to how well it's going, including the epic meltdown and Tantrum Spiral that is sure to come.

[Sus]

What are you, some kind of masochist? 
Sober dorfs take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to complete any non-trivial task.

[Scelly9]

What are you, some kind of masochist? 
Sober dorfs take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to complete any non-trivial task.

FTFY

[Hans Lemurson]

What are you, some kind of masochist? 
Sober dorfs take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to complete any non-trivial task.

I've always been too good of a fortress manager to have had experience with that...until now.

[Bralbaard]

I once ran a fortress (woundcoloured) for ten years without alcohol. Ten years, and I had not accomplished anything after all that time, the only usefull dwarves in the fortress were the new migrants, who had not yet been affected by lack of alcohol. There were no tantrum spirals however, I guess the dwarves were too fatigued.

[Hans Lemurson]

The map I genned didn't have any "Scorching" areas, but I did find an intriguing volcano in the middle of the savannah, and so embarked there.

Upon embark, I found myself at the top of a plateau level with the volcano's mouth, steep slopes to down 3 sides. 

Also, every pond in sight is bone dry. 

...This could end quick.

[Iosyn]

Maybe they'll start drinking magma to cool down.

Probably gives stat bonuses, too.

[Hans Lemurson]

The rain came soon and gave the pools some water, which began to evaporate soon afterwards.  When I noticed that even 2/7 water was subject to evaporation, I began an emergency digging project, but was a little slow on the draw.  I have an underground pool now with 6/7 water in it. 

That'll last me a year...right?

[Iosyn]

hm, how many times does a dwarf drink a year? 14 drinks of booze and 8 food, or 14 food and 8 drink? can't remember for the life of me. Something like that.

Of course... As you're not drinking booze they'll take longer breaks, but I'm not sure if that means they'd drink more. I think it will last you until it rains again at least. I'd get drilling to that cavern layer fast lol.

I was going to say before if you started in a scorching climate you'd probably have to tap the murky wells immediately on embark, guess I should have said it. Evaporation is insane.

[Hans Lemurson]

hm, how many times does a dwarf drink a year? 14 drinks of booze and 8 food, or 14 food and 8 drink? can't remember for the life of me. Something like that.

Of course... As you're not drinking booze they'll take longer breaks, but I'm not sure if that means they'd drink more. I think it will last you until it rains again at least. I'd get drilling to that cavern layer fast lol.

I was going to say before if you started in a scorching climate you'd probably have to tap the murky wells immediately on embark, guess I should have said it. Evaporation is insane.

"Hot" seems to be enough to create seasonal pools.  I got 2 rains before summer hit, and have two pools "tapped" with a small ditch off to their side to collect runoff, and a well above each ditch.  I'm halfway through my water reserves now though, but I think I've demonstrated to my satisfaction that it should be possible in theory to collect enough rainwater if I get my act together and dig collection ditches under other pools as well.

Building a roof over a pool will stop it from evaporating.  It seems "inside" is sufficient.  Building a bridge over a pool also makes it "inside" but I don't know if it can collect rain if the bridge is retracted.  I suspect it can't.  I also need to test the effect of floor-grate coverings, but it will be several months before the rains come again.

I have built walls around the pools at the surface to stop them from being doorways into my fort.  Removing their ramps is not an option because (as I found out) it destroys the "murky pool" attribute that lets them collect rain in the first place.

[Loud Whispers]

I suspect it can't.

Your suspicions are justified, it does block falling rain.